Journal-box



I fw., F.. RICHARDS.

JOURNAL'BOX. APPLICATION FILED SEPT'. Is, IsIa.

Patented Mal".- 30, 1920.

UNITED sTATgs PATENT orricn.

WILLARD F. RICHARDS, OF LANOASTER,.NEW YORK, ASSIGOR TO GOULD COUPLER COMPANY, F NEW YORK, N. Y. y

i JOURNAL-Box.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 3o, 1920.

Application filed September 16, 1918. Serial No. 254,250.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLARD F. Rion- Anns, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lancaster, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Journal-Boxes,

of which the following is a specification.

'lhis invention relates to car journal yboxes and more particularlyto the spring actuated devices usedv on such boxes for closing the lids thereof and releasably holding the lids in their closed and open positions.

In the Master Car Builders journal z boxes commonly in use the lid is hinged at for holding the lid closed, and when thek lid is raised the spring passes over the upper corner of the lug and bears on the top of the lug, thereby holding the lid open. There are also boxes in which the leaf spring extends up into a recess in the underside of the hinge lug and presses outwardly against the wall of the recess for holding the lid closed. In opening and closing the lids, the springs pass over a corner of the hinge lug from one to the other of their two holding positions and are thus'iiexed. The springs must be relatively stiff in order to hold the lids closed tightly, and since, especially in the latter type of boxes, the free or movable portions of the springs are necessarily relatively short and arellexed toaconsiderable extent in operating thelids, the springs are frequently broken or become permanently set and are therefore a source of much trouble and expense.

One object of this invention is to produce a journal box of improved construction which will overcome these difficulties, and which enables the lid to be replaced by the standard Master Car Builders lid. Another object of the invention is to produce a journal box lid closing and holding device which will hold the lid under substantial pressure against the mouth of the journal box, both at its upper and lower portions, and will thus serve, to a maximum degree, its purpose of preventing dust and moisture from entering the journal box and also preventing the escape of the lubricant from the box. j

In the accompanying drawings:

4Figure 1 is an end elevation, partly in" section, of a journal box and lid embodying` the invention, Y f

Fig. 2 is -a sectional elevation `thereof' on line Q-JZ, Fig. 1, showing by full and broken lines the lid in'its closedand open positions respectively.

A represents thel journal box, theouter vend portion only of which is shown, and B the lid for closing the mouth "a thereof. The lid is hinged at its upper end to swing upwardly and downwardly, preferably by the usual hinge pin c passing through hinge lugs c on the lid and through. a hinge lug C on the journal box between the lugs`c.

Exteriorly the hinge lug C is similar to the lugs used on the Master Car Builders journal boxes, having the usual flattened front face 03 between its ends, and va Hattened top or upper face o", so that,"if `desired, the standard Master Car Builders lid may be used on this journal box, inwhich case the upper end of the leaf spring closing device will bear against the face c3 to hold the lid closed and. against the upper face c* to hold the lid open. Z is the usual inwardly projecting marginal langelon'the lid adapted to surround the' mouth of the journal box for preventing thel entrance of snow,`rain or dust into the box.

The -spring-actuated lid closing and holding device embodied in this invention comprises a lever E pivoted between its ends on the inner side ofthe lid near `the lower end thereof, and a coil spring F suitably arranged between the lower arm of the lever and the inside of the lid.

In the construction shown the lever E is pivoted on a pin or rivet e passing through a long bearing hole in the lever and through the side walls of a hollow lug or projection c on the journal box] lid. The hollow lug e forms an upwardly and downwardly extending cavity cz on the inside of the lid in which the lever is confined and held from lateral play, or displacement, and since the lever pivot e passes through the side walls of the lug e -its ends are exposed at the outer side of the lid and are readily accessible. This enables the pivot to be riveted and the removal and replacement of a broken lever orkspring with a minimum of labor and expense. The lever E has a short downwardly extending arm e3 and a relatively long upwardly extending arm 6*. The arm e3 terminates in a pocket e5 and the lid is provided adjacent thereto with an oppositely disposed pocket e0. The spring F is confined with its ends bearing in these pocketsv in such manner as to exert an inward pressure on the arm. e3, thereby tending to force the long arm e4 of the lever in an outward direction.

The hinge lug C is providedwith. a down- Wardly opening recess g below the hinge pin c into which the inwardly curved upper end, g of thev lever E extendsl when the lid is closed, as shown in Fig. 2.

In. the normal or closed; position of the .lid the spring F presses the upper end of the lever E outwardly against outer Wall g2 of the recess g at a point a considerable distance below the axis of the lid hinge. The lid is therefore forced inwardly against the mouth of the box with a substantial pressure at its upper portion as well as at its lower portion. Consequently the lid will be held closely tothe mouth of the journal boxl at all points and will effectually prevent the entrance of snow, dust, and the like, and will also prevent the escape of the lubricant. As the lid is lifted to open the same, the curved end g of the lever will bear against and travel first downwardly and then upwardly over the rounded lower end of the wall g2 until it reaches a point on the straight bearing facey 03 of the hinge lug in which position it will hold the lid in its open position.

In the device described there is practically no downward pressure on the lid tending to cause the lid toy bindl on its pivot pin and thus makey it diilicult to remove the pin. This trouble, which is incident to some constructions, isf therefore avoided and the hinge pin may be easily removed when neeessary. With the lever and spring constructed and arranged as described the point of contact, of the leverwith the wall g2 of the hinge lug can belocated far enough below the axis of the lid hinge to give a strong inward pressure on the lid against the mouth of the box and yet there is no possibility of damaging or setting the spring as would be the ease with a iat spring giving the required pressure. The extremity of the lever arni will readily pass over the lower corner of the hinge lug in both opening and closing the lid. Nevertheless the usual Master Car Builderslid with a flat spring may be substituted at any tim.eby the simple removal and re-insertion of the pivot pin c.

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination of a journal box, a lid hinged to said box and providedl with an outwardly projecting hollow lug forming a 'cavity on the inner side of the lid, a lever' located in s aid cavity. and havingv an arm bearing agalnst a part of the journal box, a pivot for said lever extending through the side walls of'said lug and located at a point outside of the plane of the lid, whereby said pivot is accessible from the outside of said lid, and a spring arranged between said lever and the lid and acting to press said lever arm against said part ofthe journal box.

2. The combination of a journalbox, a

Vlid hinged to said box and provided with an outwardly projecting hollow lug forming a y'cavity on the inner side of the lid7 a lever located in said cavity and having an arm bearing against a. part of the journal box, a pivot for said lever extending through the side walls of said lug with the ends of the pivot exposed at the outer side of the lid, and a spring arranged between vsaid lever and the lid and acting to press-said lever arm against said part of the journal x.

Witness my hand, this 28th day of August, 1918.

WILLARD F. RICHARDS.

Witnesses:

ALLEN B. BRIMMER, RALPH C. SMITH. 

